


Zak Bones, Golden Pirate

by Heato_kun



Category: Zak Storm (Cartoon)
Genre: Bones adopts Zak AU, Bones is also trying too hard to be a dad, Bones is trying so hard not to be a dad, Calabrass has many regrets too, Cece is in denial, Gen, Skullivar is Skullivar, The rest of the 7Cs are confused, Zak is too adorable, Zak's actual dad in in eternal regret somewhere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2019-07-29 12:20:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16264097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heato_kun/pseuds/Heato_kun
Summary: When young Zak tries to surf with his dad's lucky charm, he gets himself thrown in the Bermuda Triangle, where he is taken by Skullivar's most skilled Captain, Golden Bones. Zak has to deal with him until he finds a way home. But will the green-eyed pirate stay cold and mocking towards Zak forever?Bones adopts Zak AU.





	1. Prologue

**Flashback**

_He wasn't supposed to be out on his own this late, he told himself. But if his dad could do it, why couldn't he?_

_Well, sure, his dad was awesome, he was the best surfer in the world, everyone at school (well, those who weren't meanies) wanted to be like him, and so did Zak._

_Whenever his dad took him on a surfboard, it was always fun. Better than swimming or going on a boat, they were facing the waves together! He didn't like that his dad didn't take him far into the water when they had fun together, but went as far as he wanted when he didn't have Zak with him. His parents always told him he'd go further when he'd grow up._

_He wanted to be like his dad, a super surfer, but he didn't even have a surfboard yet. Good thing there were lots of them inside the house, he only needed to take one to become a super surfer._

_One thing Zak noticed was his dad's cool necklace. He always wore it when surfing, and he always looked cool wearing it. The jewel on it was round and grey, though Zak often saw it as white. He sometimes felt as if it was glowing, probably worked on tiny lamps and stuff people use to sell stuff. Zak didn't recognize the symbol on it, but it reminded him of the wind for some reason._

_When he asked his dad about it, he answered that his necklace was his "lucky charm", that he never surfed without it, and that he always knew when was the right time for surfing thanks to it. Zak knew what he had to do. He sneaked around while the sun was setting down, his parents were busy relaxing._

_Going unnoticed, he took a surfboard and snatched his dad's lucky charm from where it was. The lucky charm was already working, he didn't make any noise leaving, which was a first with someone as loud as he was._

_He ran to the beach, tripping and falling many times because of how big the surfboard was. Another sign the necklace was a lucky charm, he didn't break the surfboard! Yet!_

_He looked at the sky above the sea. The wind was already rising, and it looked like there was a storm brewing. Good thing his last name wasn't Storm for nothing, he wasn't afraid of a little bad weather._

_He set the surfboard on the water and positioned himself, remembering how his dad did it. He started paddling, getting further and further into the water. When he was sure he was far enough, he stood on the board and went for the waves._

_Almost instantly, Zak found himself surfing like a pro! His dad would be so proud of him if he saw him. It didn't come to Zak's mind that his dad would probably ground him for weeks and stop him from ever surfing again until he was an adult, if he did see him._

_The wind was getting stronger, but Zak wasn't afraid. However, Zak was afraid of the giant dark cloud in the sky. He knew there were clouds that had all sorts of shapes, maybe even skulls, but why did it look like that giant skull was moving towards him?!_

_The skull cloud looked like it was getting closer, and Zak didn't want to surf anymore. Not when the sea was getting scary. He decided it'd be safer if he returned to the shore, before the cloud monster got him!_

_He did as much as he could to reach the beach, but before he got to the sand, a giant wave came in front of him. When did waves come from the beach to the sea, not the opposite?!_

_Zak readied himself for the wave. He could do this, he was gonna be a super surfer! And then, right out of nowhere, there was something like an entrance in the wave, right where Zak was heading! He couldn't turn left or right or turn around in time, and before he knew it, he was sucked into the portal._

* * *

Vapir, the Sea of Wind and Darkness, the dark sea covered in fog and home to many spirits, as well as being the one sea in the entire Triangle where one can find Netherwhere, base to the Scourge of the Seven Seas, The Devourer of Dreams, Skullivar.

A golden skeleton, wearing a black pirate hat, a black cape and having a golden hook on his right hand, walked in front of his master and bowed, awaiting orders.

"Golden Bones. I senses a presence. Something ancient awaking in the darkness of the Vapir Sea." said the green skeleton before him.

"We'll scour every league of ocean, Master Skullivar." declared Golden Bones.

"Do so, Bones. There have been murmurs of a return of..." Skullivar stopped, making Bones raise a brow (or whatever a skeleton had). "Whatever is out there, bring it to me."

Bones left his Master, heading towards his ship, The Demoniac. He would not disappoint his master with this mission, he was the general of Skullivar's army. Whoever would dare stopping him from completing his task would have to pay the consequences.

The pirate ship sailed into the sea, the sun's feeble light illuminating Vapir's waters. The Demoniac left Netherwhere, in search of the artefact its master desired.

* * *

"Uhhh..." Zak put his hands on his head when he woke up.

He was so busted. He went outside super late, super not allowed, super lame. He stole one of his dad's boards, he tried to surf without being allowed to, and he almost drowned!

His mom and dad would be so mad when they found out. Why didn't the necklace give him luck?

He panicked, hoping he still had it on him. He sighed in relief when he felt it around his neck. That storm was so creepy, he'd wait until sun is out and the weather gets better next time, if his parents would even allow him to surf after this.

He opened his eyes and looked at the shore.  _'Huh, weird. The house is supposed to be that way, now there's a... town?!'_

Zak looked at the beach. First of all, it didn't look like he was in Florida anymore. The sky was covered by huge, dark clouds, the sea looked less friendly than he remembered, and the coast now had a very, very scary town!

_'Where did I end up?!'_

"Is this the ghost town the Muppets went to?! Why couldn't I go to Hollywood instead?!" Zak pouted, though he was scared. "There's light up there, is that a lighthouse? Maybe whoever's using it can help me get home." said Zak.

He tried to take his board, but he realized it was  _really_  unpractical to carry it around. There was no one else on the beach, he could leave it there and get it when he can go home.

He decided to go inside the spooky town. He looked at the necklace, hoping it'd protect him. It was glowing again, weird. He hoped he could use it to light up his way before its batteries died out.

The alleys were old and dirty, it looked like no one had been there for years. He saw no one around, and there was a fog settling on the place. Something didn't feel right, and it wasn't the treasure he just found!

A chest full of gold! Coins everywhere and stuff! There was even a crown! But why was this treasure in there?

Was there no one to take it? It looked new and in good state, as if someone had cleaned it up.

"This is so weird. I end up on a mysterious place after taking my dad's lucky charm, there's no one here, but there's an awesome treasure! It's just like my comics and the movies dad showed me! I am an adventurer!"

He laughed to himself. Maybe he could be like Indiana Jones and become famous by taking super secret items back to town? Maybe his parents wouldn't be mad at him?

"Wait, why is it there in the middle of nowhere? Usually, there's all sorts of traps, rolling boulders chasing me, ninja weapons attacking me, why did no one take this gold before me? I don't know how to surf yet, how come no one got here when I didn't? I mean, I'm only eight, how could I... Who am I even talking to?!"

Zak sighed. The beautiful treasure now sounded like a trap, it was too good to be true. Someone was probably waiting for him to take it, and then he'd be chased by monkeys, snakes, venomous scorpions and other animals adventurers have to avoid. Even if it looked good, he couldn't take it.

"Let's go to the lighthouse instead."

He walked in through the alleys, the entire island reminding him of what he saw in horror movies.  _'Dad was right about me staying up too late, I don't know what to do when it's all dark.'_

Had this town been abandoned? Why was the lighthouse still working? Who would leave the town like this? Sure, he understood someone didn't want to live in a place like that, but didn't adult always try to fix stuff and clean everything? Why was the town like that?

The fog was getting denser, and he wasn't sure he could see where he was going anymore. He shook his necklace, trying to figure out if it could give him directions. Beside glowing, it hadn't done much.

He felt the wind rising again. It was weird, but he didn't feel cold or bothered by it, and the fog seemed to go away, though he did notice his red shirt was all white. The color was probably washed off with the water, his mom would be so mad when she'd see him again. If he saw his parents again.

He suddenly felt very light and started running, going super fast. It almost felt like flying. He wished he was this fast in PE class, he'd probably be the best in the basket-ball team. He was rushing through the old streets, he didn't even feel like he was touching the ground when he ran.

What he didn't notice was that his feet were moving at a pace that couldn't make him go this fast, but also phasing through the ground.

He saw he was getting close, the door of the lighthouse in sight. He tried to slow down to open it, but he found himself unable to, he was going too fast. And he was flying!

"Waaaaaaah! What's going ooooon?! Help!" he shouted, for no one to answer. And when he got to the door...

...he went through it as if it was nothing, and with a white glow, his shirt was red again, he stopped flying and fell flat on the ground.

Zak was speechless at what he just did.

"Did I get superpowers? Am I like Superman or Spider-man? Awesome! But how did I do that?" he asked himself.

He noticed his necklace wasn't glowing anymore, its batteries must've been all emptied out. Or...

"Dad's lucky charm is magic! It gave me superpowers, that's why I could fly! Is that how dad was able to surf like a pro all these years? Man, dad was a superhero, and I never knew!" he exclaimed. "Of course he's a superhero, he's awesome! But why didn't he tell me about this? Is this one of those 'don't tell them to protect them' thing superheroes do? But I never saw dad fight any supervillain, what could he protect me from?"

Realizing he was talking to himself again, he tried to find a way to return home instead of talking about superheroes.

"Is anyone there? Hello?" he called out.

No answer.  _'Guess I just have to see if the_ _lighthouse keeper will help me or not, if he's up there.'_

"Hellooooooooooooo? Is there anyone heeeeeeeeeeeere?" he called out loudly. "Anyoooooooone?" he said as he started going upstairs.

This place was so old, in bad shape and creepy, he could probably throw the best Halloween party ever in there, if the lighthouse keeper let him in. Or if he could get back home.

"Who dares coming into our town uninvited?"

Zak gulped. Not only was that voice angry, but it had a strange echo to it, and it sounded like it came from the walls.

"Sorry sir, I got lost and..."

"You shall pay for what you have done!"

Then out of the walls, blue figures came out. They had a sick grin on their faces, distorted shapes that looked like eyes, a pointy head, and the way they had a weird cape instead of feet... the way they flew... Zak realized what they were.

"Ahhhh! Ghosts!"

Zak ran back downstairs, but he felt something cold stop him. One of the ghosts seized his shirt and practically made him run in place.

"No!" he shouted in horror. He tried to get the transparent being to drop him, but all it did was amuse the spirit, making the creature laugh and making Zak very afraid. "Let me go! I didn't do anything! I'm not a bad person, I..." he seized his necklace.

The amulet glowed bright, his shirt was white again, and suddenly, a blast of wind came out of Zak's hand, flying straight in the ghost's face, making it lose its grip on the boy.

"I'm a superhero!"

He used the speed the jewel gave him, gliding through the air faster than the ghosts, feeling the wind around him. The spirits were chasing him, but he knew he could avoid them now, and fight back. Reaching first floor, he knew all he had to do was go through the door, nothing was stopping him.

He phased through it and found himself back in the ghost town, heading back towards the beach.

_'I couldn't fight a way to get out from here, maybe I could use my powers to escape from the beach with my board.'_

But he suddenly felt tired, heavily tired. He didn't realize yet the amulet he had was tiring him out whenever he used these powers, emptying him from his energy. He didn't know he wasn't in his world anymore, he wasn't anywhere near his family, his home, his old life.

And he didn't realize, as his eyes were slowly closing, that he was going through an army of skeletons.

The skeletons were confused as they saw a kid made of flesh and blood rather than mere bones or ectoplasm phasing slowly through their bodies, landing softly on the sand, falling asleep. Golden Bones, who had been looking at the island to see if any threat was coming, saw the whole scene. He went down the Demoniac and went to inspect the boy he saw gliding two minutes ago.

"What is this foolery?" he scoffed.

His eyes widened when he saw what Zak had around his neck.  _'Impossible! The Eye of Vapir... How could this human...'_

He shook his head and ordered his men to move. "Set sail for Netherwhere, we found what we needed!" he said, picking the poor boy from the ground and putting him over his shoulder.

The skeletons looked at each other in confusion, but obeyed. Usually, their general didn't give them missions that ended that quick, this was a whole different thing for them.

Bones went back on the Demoniac, carrying Zak with him. He had questions to ask the boy, Skullivar had to see this human. A boy, a normal human boy, had in his possession the Eye of Vapir and was able to use it. Not only that, but he didn't have the Great Key with him, which was supposed to render that power available for the wielder. Yet this pathetic, mortal, pint-sized human boy was somehow able to summon the powers of Vapir, if his little show in front of the army was anything.

Skullivar would be pleased to have one of the Eyes of the Seven Seas in his possession, especially the one belonging to his realm. As soon as they'd get to Netherwhere and get the information they've needed from the flesh child, he'd be thrown overboard and Bones would keep serving his Master, as always.

He didn't notice Zak was gripping tightly to his cape. And from the looks of it, even if it was on the shoulders of a skeleton made of gold, the boy had finally found comfort away from danger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something I've noticed with Bones, he thinks Zak is something to be hated, but he also compliments what Zak does on numerous occasions (whether it's to mock him, because he wants to fight or just because of his condescending personality leading him to say stuff like that). So of course, I will take that out of proportion just for the sake of a fluffy AU!


	2. Newcomer

_"Remember, Zak. A_ _Captain has to make a right decision for his crew. Do you understand?"_

_"Yes, dad."_

_"As long you take care of your crew, they will know you're the right captain. If you neglect them or hurt them, they won't be happy with you and might want to leave. So, stay close to your friends, stick to being nice to them, and they'll give that kindness back."_

_"You talk as if you were a Captain before. Are you a surfer or a Captain, dad?"_

_"Haha, that's for you to figure out!"_

* * *

"...mmmnnhn...wat..er..."

The boy was sleeping on the ground, unaware of where he found himself. He didn't realize quite yet he was at Netherwhere, at Skullivar's lair. It was a miracle he was still able to sleep in these waters, especially after going through a ghost chase, being taken by Skullivar's men, being thrown in the Bermuda Triangle in the scariest of the Seven Seas...

You'd think anyone would have nightmares and never sleep again after this kind of trauma. Yet, he was still able to get a peaceful sleep. Probably because he was supposed to go to bed instead of surfing the night before, and the Eye of Vapir had tired him out the second time he used it.

Bones would wake him by seizing him with his hook and throwing him on the ground for insulting Skullivar's presence, he however had a report to make, which he was discussing with his Master.

"Interesting. So this child had the Eye of Vapir on him, but he didn't have The Great Key to channel its powers? Hmm, this human isn't the same as the ones who usually try to oppose us. Where did you find him?"

"In the old ghost treasure island, he fainted in front of The Demoniac when we arrived. We have yet to know how he found it and how he could use it. Must I wake him now, Master Skullivar?"

"Do so, Bones. This child might have information that will prove to be  _very_  useful." said Skullivar, his voice could send chills to anyone who had more than a few bones on their body.

The golden skeleton walked to the boy and kicked him lightly. "Get up."

Zak only twitched a bit, he was still snoring. Bones growled. "Get up! You're in presence of Skullivar, the most powerful wizard in the Seven Seas. Pay respect if you don't want to be thrown to the sharks!" He seized Zak by the collar of his shirt, shaking him impatiently.

Zak groaned softly. "Five more minutes, dad... I don't wanna go to school now..."

Bones rolled his eyes at the boy's antics, dropping him flat on the floor.

"Ouch! Okay, fine, I'm awake! Ugh!" Zak shook his head.

"Do you know who you're talking to, boy?" Skullivar asked, not much amused.

"Dad?" Zak brushed his eyes, yawning. "Are you sick? Your voice sounds all weird, and-"

Zak's eyes widened when he realized he wasn't talking to his dad, that he wasn't in his room, that he wasn't home at all, but that he was indeed in very big trouble.

"Huh?!"

Skullivar and Golden Bones inspected the boy. He wore a plain red t-shirt, simple red sneakers and baggy black shorts. Judging from his outfit, he must've been from a pretty recent era, unlike most of the people who got lost in the Triangle.

Zak was weirded out by the sight in front of him. A yellow skeleton dressed like a pirate with a hook and a... a skull...skeleton...scarecrow...green thingy... were staring at him menacingly. He started sweating, wondering where he was.

_'What is going on?! First, a skull cloud, then ghosts, then these weird guys?! What did I get myself into?! Unless...'_

"I know! This is all just a dream! That's why I'm hanging out with old school Halloween disguises today!"

Silence filled the room at Zak's words.  _'What.'_  was Skullivar and Bones' immediate thought.

"Oh man! That one looks so rad!" he said, pointing to Bones' golden hook. "I wish I got a hook like that! But like, with my hand still on. The other one doesn't look that good, huh." he said, looking with a bored eye at Skullivar.

It took only a few seconds for Bones to catch Zak by his collar, having lost any patience he had left with the boy.

"Enough joking around, runt! Speak!"

"Hey! Rude! For a dream, you're really not fun!" Zak pouted.

"I am no dream, unless your childish mortal head cannot comprehend that. You're talking to Golden Bones, the most feared blade in the Seven Seas!"

"The Seven Seas? So you are a pirate! Cool! I like your hat, Mr. Golden Bones, sir." The compliment didn't do much, beside annoy the general more.

"Let me do the asking, Bones."

Golden Bones complied, forcefully turning Zak around.

"Who are you? I don't remember seeing a costume like yours last Halloween. But your voice is like my dad's, but it's got an echo to it."

"Clearly, whoever that father of yours is, he did not raise you to have the most respectful manners towards your elders, child." said Skullivar, frowning at Zak's behavior.

"Hey! Don't be mean to my dad! He's super cool, he's got super powers even if he never told me! And his lucky charm necklace is all-"

Zak covered his mouth, realizing he said too much. These guys looked like supervillains. Even if this was a dream, he shouldn't reveal his dad's secret powers to everyone, how would he ever be able to become a superhero himself then?!

Skullivar, on the other hand, seemed satisfied with what Zak said. So this little imp's father had the Eye of Vapir before he had it, he might've trained the boy to harness the amulet's powers as well, if Bones' tale was accurate. Someone else knew about the Eyes of the Seven Seas, and this runt of a human had the ability to use it.

"Who is your father, might I ask?"

"Nuh-uh! Not gonna tell you big green skully face! I am not gonna tell you, it's a secret!"

"Hmm, so you do not wish to go home alive, I suppose."

Zak didn't take the threat seriously. "Oh please, as if a dream could hurt me. They only hurt in the movies, like the one mom told me not to watch!"

"If this was a dream, you dumb flesh being, don't you think you'd be out of Netherwhere and back to your pathetic human life by now?" asked Bones.

Zak rolled his eyes. He really didn't see how dangerous the situation was. He pinched himself, trying to wake up. It hurt, but he was still there.

He tried again, and winced a bit. Still nothing.  _'Come on, this is all just a big dumb dream! Like the ghosts, and the island, and my... superpowers...'_

Zak wasn't sure if he wanted things to be real or not. If they weren't, his dad didn't have superpowers, the amulet wasn't magic. But if they were, that meant he could really fly. He really did encounter ghosts and escape from a creepy town, and it would be awesome if they were. But come on, why wasn't he waking up?

Bones dropped him on the ground and, out of habit, stepped on Zak's back, making him shout in pain.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

"This is what you get for wasting Skullivar's time like this, boy! Now stop whining and start talking!"

"Okay, okay, geeze!" Zak said, gasping for air as the golden man let him go. If this wasn't a dream, reality was being really mean too. "What do you want from me?"

Skullivar raised his hand. From behind him, the necklace Zak stole was there floating in front of him, the Eye of Vapir glowing faintly. "Dad's lucky charm! I need it or he's gonna ground me! Give it back!" Zak said, running to the necklace to catch it. One swift move from Skullivar, the necklace flew over Zak, getting out of reach.

"Not until you give me the answers I demand, boy."

"What do you want to know?! I'm not really the brightest student at school..."

"Where did you find the Eye of Vapir?"

"The Eye of what? I don't bring eyes home, that's cool but disgusting for mom!"

Skullivar sighed. Of all the ignorant prisoners he blackmailed in the past, of all the troops he had to inform about the Seven Eyes of the Seven Seas, of all inconveniences he had to personally deal with, a child was never one of them. Bones usually did the talking, when something wasn't getting a rise out of him. Needless to say, the self-entitled Master of the Bermuda Triangle was not used to kids, and he likely didn't want to deal with Zak if it wasn't necessary.

"The Eye of Vapir, one of the Eyes of the Seven Seas. It allows the user the power of the shadows, as they can pass through any physical barrier like a spirit, and they have control over smoke, winds and a small figment of spiritual power. This lucky charm, as you call it, possesses the gem that is the Eye of Vapir on it, which gave you powers you weren't meant to wield."

Zak's eyes widened. So his dad's lucky charm was magic after all! And it did give him superpowers, though laser eyes and ice breath would've been cooler than just the power of being a ghost and making wind. But then, why was the man after Zak then?

"And what do you need me for?"

Skullivar took the necklace between his hands, and raising it into the air, called "Give me the Eye of Vapir!"

Zak expected a big show, like tons of soldiers appearing from the dead, a giant boss fight out of nowhere, or even to be teleported into a dungeon. But none of that happened, as Skullivar's words did nothing at all.

"As you can see, it is impossible to wield the power of any of the Eyes of the Triangle unless one has the Great Key, the item supposed to give shape to the power hidden inside the Eyes. Yet, your feeble human body was able to summon the power of Vapir back then, and no human I've heard of had this ability before."

"So, I could do stuff you couldn't and no one else could, so you kidnap me?"  _'That sounds like a bad evil plan. Why have the hero with you when he can beat you but you don't have superpowers. I mean, aside from the levitation thingy.'_

"You have guts talking to Skullivar that way, impudent child. Now start talking, where did you find it?"

"Uh, my dad had it since I was a little kid. He always took it to surf, so I wanted to try. Please don't tell him I took it, he's gonna be really mad!"

"What else do you know? How did you learn to summon those powers?"

"I... I don't know."

Golden Bones raised a brow. "Pardon me?"

"I don't know! I just put it on, it started glowing and stuff, and I got powers. That's all I know, I don't even know how I got here! There was a scary cloud up in the sky that followed me, a hole inside a wave, I fell inside, and next thing I know, I'm stuck with ghosts and skeletons and probably other dead things!"

Zak put his hands above his head and started shivering. He was taken away by scary people, he was lost without his dad, he had no idea what was going on. What were those eyes, exactly? What was the "triangle" they referred to? What did he have to do with all of this. He didn't know, he didn't know!

Skullivar seemed to consider the boy. If he, the Master of this Galaxy, couldn't use the Eye of the very sea he guarded the Lock of, then this child was definitely not like the other beings he confronted before. Whatever power lied within the boy, he couldn't take it as easily as he took the Eye of Vapir. But... it didn't mean he couldn't use it anyway.

"Do you wish to have those powers within your grasp?"

Zak looked up. Bones seemed as surprised as he was.

"Huh?"

"Master, you wish to let this runt-"

"Silence, Bones." said Skullivar, frowning. "Listen, boy. I am giving you a trade. More of an offer, really."

Zak was confused. "What are you talking about, Mr. Skullivar, sir?"

"You have never been to the Bermuda Triangle, if I am not mistaken."

"The Bermuda Triangle? I've heard of it in the movies, comics and that science stuff dad talks to me about. Isn't that, like, a portal for aliens to kidnap boats or to some other reality that makes boats disappear?"

"As childish as your perception of this realm is, you are not very far from the truth. The Bermuda Triangle is another dimension, different from your world in many ways. It is where everything that was lost in the universe finds itself warped into. Whether it was lost at sea, in the skies or on Earth, it will reappear in this domain, and I have control over this world."

Zak was speechless. He traveled into another world? Awesome! This sounded just like his video games. But weren't there supposed to be funny talking animals instead of skeletons?

"I have sought the Great Key, the one artefact that will allow me to open a vortex towards other worlds, including yours. However, the Great Key is missing, and the only sign of it in the past thousand years, is you."

"Me?" Zak pointed to himself.

"The Eye of Vapir, that jewel you claim your father had without your knowledge of how he obtained it, is one of the seven eyes that the Great Key Calabrass is meant to carry, and if you claim being able to use its powers, I suggest that you join my ranks."

"Huh? What do you mean? I don't know how to fight! Okay, I know I could fly and make wind uhhh... was it yesterday, or earlier today? What time is it? Anyways, I have no idea how I did that, it just came like, like..."

How to explain something he knew nothing about?

Usually, Zak had this problem in class when talking to the teacher instead of in the Bermuda Triangle, talking to skulls with weird colors and clothes and using the Force. He had no idea how to use the Eye of vapor or whatever it was called, he didn't even notice he did the first time. He now knew that's how he was able to get rid of the ghosts last time, but he did it on instinct, he had no idea how to do it on purpose.

Suddenly, his dad's necklace flew in front of him, floating at his face.

"Here's my suggestion: you help me reclaim the power that's mine in the Triangle using the Eye of Vapir. In exchange, when I get all the power necessary to take back the control of the Triangle that I have been stripped of, I will reopen the portal that leads to your world, and you'll be able to return to your family."

Zak thought about it. This guy and his friend or servant or whoever Golden Bones was supposed to be, looked way too creepy to be trusted. He couldn't just give away his dad's necklace and expect everything to work out. But, if what he said was true, if Zak was really lost in here and Skullivar could help him go back home, he had no other choice but to say yes.

Besides, if ghosts and skeletons were what roamed around on land, Zak didn't want to think about what he'd find in the water if they made him walk the plank if he said no.

"Okay. I'll... I'll try helping you go back to being king of triangles, mister Skullivar. Can I have this back?" he pointed to the necklace in front of him.

"I suggest you give us a demonstration first, boy."

Zak had to wonder if this guy plugged his black and neon green skeleton ears, because as he said, he didn't know how to! This was just like when one of the mean teachers at school asked him a question he wasn't asked to study for. Usually, his mom or his dad went to the principal and talked to him about it. But beside Golden Bones, Zak saw no other person to ask help from. Better try on his own before asking help from the big yellow pirate.

"Uhm." He put the necklace on and shook it, looking at the symbol. The Eye of Vapir wasn't shining anymore, there was no light that came from it.  _'Transform? Go go, Zak Storm, super hero transformation? Genie of the lucky charm, give me super powers? Going hero?'_

"What are you waiting for, runt?!" scolded Golden Bones. "Call upon the Eye of Vapir, now!"

_'Call upon it? But how do I do it? Uhhh, how did that Skullivar do when he tried to use dad's lucky charm?'_  He grasped the jewel and shouted. "Give me the Eye of Vapir!"

Once again, Zak suddenly felt lighter. His shirt went back to being white, the necklace was glowing again, and as he raised his hand, a gust of wind came out of it.

"I did it!"

Zak was ecstatic. He was a superhero, he knew how to use his powers, he could fly, he could probably learn how to go back home!

He saw he was floating again.  _'Just like Peter Pan!'_  He tried to go up, seeing how far he could get before feeling sick. But Bones' hook on his shirt said otherwise.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you, boy." said Bones. "Until you give my Master what he wants, you're going nowhere."

"I wasn't going anywhere, I swear!" said Zak, trying to get the hook off. "Hey! If I'm in spirit mode right now, how can you still touch me? Shouldn't you go  _through_  me instead?"

"I have gone to the other side, back and forth. If it had been one of the island's spirits, I could have had some more trouble than with a runt." Zak pouted at that remark. "Not even the dead could stop me from fulfilling my task. I'd suggest you think twice before trying my patience, or else you'll meet my blade and it'll be the last thing you'll ever see before I end you."

It was a threat, Bones was threatening to kill him. Somehow, Zak didn't grasp that. Or if he did, he didn't mind.

"You know, you really sound kinda cool when you say that. You must be a super strong pirate if you can even beat ghosts!"

Bones raised a brow, his anger dropping for an instant. "Compliments will get you nowhere, now get to work."

"Okay, okay." Zak sighed, freed from Bones' hand. "Uh, so, wind power?"

He raised his hand into the air. A white gust of wind came out from his palm and soared to the ceiling.  _'Kamehameha!'_  Zak smiled. He could get used to this.  _'Wonder what other powers I have. Why did dad never tell me I could do this? And if what these boneheads are saying is true, only I can do it.'_

Zak wanted to do more, he wanted to see what else he's got in store. Then all of a sudden, he felt worn out. All of his energy was gone and before he knew it, he transformed back and fell on the ground, asleep.

"That's it, boy! You've been-"

"He can't hear you, Bones. The Eye of Vapir took away all of his energy." Bones turned back to his Master. "Without Calabrass, it relies on the energy of this child to stay active, and if he's out of energy, his powers will shut down."

"If that's the case, he can't join our army. If he can't fight without standing for more than a few minutes, he's useless in battle."

"Indeed. We still need to find the Great Key, but we'll have a valuable asset in the meantime. The boy may be weak, but the gem can still be used to take control of the Triangle."

Bones knelt before him. "What should we do, Master?"

"Take the boy and get him to training." The golden skeleton raised a brow. "If we can make him a weapon able to sustain the power of the Eye of Vapir, we'll still gain something from it. A living host is something rare to come by, we might as well keep him with us until he isn't of any use anymore."

"Do you really believe a weakling like him has his place at your service, Master? I don't think he could serve any purpose beside being an annoyance."

"Are you questioning my decision, Bones?" threatened Skullivar.

"No, master."

Without further ado, Bones picked Zak from the ground and carried him away, in direction of the base's dorms. The kid would need to recover quick if he was now on Skullivar's side. Weaklings like him and other mortals weren't allowed, he was only making an exception under the demand of his Master.

Meanwhile, Zak was sleeping in his arms peacefully. He hadn't realized the child was still smiling, grasping his cape for comfort.

* * *

When their general came in and dropped a human on their beds without warning, Calico had to wonder what was the Master's new plan.

Usually, when they had a human in their grasp, they made it walk the plank or threw it in the cells without much thought. Skullivar's army had no time to waste with these mortal creatures. So the reason why his leader just brought one into their dormitory was a mystery for the First Mate.

He observed the young human snoring under the eyes of his confused comrades. He looked like a young boy, and from the looks of it, he must've entered the Triangle pretty recently, seeing as his clothes were clean, intact and had a bright color. Hard to achieve when the Triangle doesn't have many resources to keep most items in a good state. That and it was a known fact that children could not stay put for more than a few seconds.

He didn't recognize from what place or era the child was. Time passes differently in the Triangle compared to the outside world, this child could've been from the same era as the last prisoners they got rid of, or he could be from a distant future for all he knew.

There was however something that got Calico's attention. The boy wore an old necklace that didn't look like it'd fit with the rest of his clothes. It seemed a bit too old, too ancient, not matching the boy's clothing. And the little stone it held looked... familiar.

"Hmm...and Zak... scooooores..." the boy mumbled.

The kid looked like he had a pretty nice dream while he was being looked after. Too bad for him, Calico's curiosity got the best of him, so he woke the human up.

"Hey, kid. You in there?" he knocked on Zak's head, making the boy slightly groan in his sleep. "Hey, wake up!" he shook Zak hard.

"Okay, okay!" Zak opened his eyes, visibly annoyed.

He made a disappointed sigh when he saw where he was.

He wasn't home, or on the beach. He was surrounded by skeletons, in a creepy old place with used beds, and they all looked like soldiers. So Skullivar, Golden Bones and the Eye of Vapir weren't a dream. It was all real.

He really did fall in the Bermuda Triangle. He lost his way while surfing and he was stuck in another dimension with a creepy skeleton guy and his golden servant. And he agreed to be part of their army now.

This was bad, this was so, so bad. He had superpowers, which was cool, but he'd become a soldier now? Usually, heroes went solo or had a team, and Zak would rather go solo than have Skullivar as his leader. Or work with Bones. He was trapped with them until he could escape from this spooky dump, and he had no other choice than to help people that were possibly bad guys.

He was so lame, his dad was gonna be so mad he let the lucky charm fall into the wrong hands.

"Hey kid? What are ya doing there?"

Zak raised his head. One of the skeletons was talking to him. Still creeped out by the entire situation, Zak moved back uncomfortably. Everyone was staring at him, he felt like he was standing out with his skin and being a normal human being instead of something that came straight out of a video game.

They all wore old-school soldier outfits, green eyes, bald heads (could skeletons grow hair on their bones?), they practically all looked the same. Except for one that looked like he had metal bits on his body and eye, and the one who talked to Zak had a red bandana and an eyepatch.  _'Wow. They really are pirates. Do they have a ship with cannons and do they throw people to sharks when they're mad? Man, please don't make me go overboard!'_

"Hey kid! Cat got your tongue?" Calico asked. He was practically sure that's what humans said when one of them didn't talk. He wasn't really sure though.

"Uhhhh... Hi everyone?" Zak awkwardly grinned.

The skeletons were still staring at him. Zak gulped, feeling them judging him. This wasn't gonna be easy. "Hey! So, uh, I'm the new member aboard, haha. So, I hope I get along with all of you and uh, become part of your pirate crew everyone!"

This time, he felt they didn't believe him. Of course they wouldn't, he wasn't a skeleton like them, and he would rather not turn into one while he was still alive.

Calico kept observing the human. This kid just... claimed to be part of their army? General Bones did tell him to have the boy ready for next morning. But, was this what he meant? What interest did Skullivar have in a mortal human?

His comrades seemed ready to throw Zak away in the dungeons, so he intervened. "Hmm, so you're the new member I've heard about? Welcome aboard, kid. I'm Calico."

The other skeletons stared at the First Mate. They then looked away, realizing Zak wasn't their problem now. They left, leaving a bewildered Zak behind.

"Uh, nice to meet you, Mister Calico. I'm, uh, Zak. Zak Storm."

"So you're supposed to be a new soldier of Skullivar? At your age?"

"Um, yeah. It's crazy. It all started when I took this weird necklace my dad had." Zak said, holding the Eye of Vapir close to his chest. "I was sucked into the Bermuda..." he snickered a bit. "I got into the Triangle and Skullivar found me. He told me he could help me go back home so I said yes and now, I'm here."

_'So this kid is from outside the Triangle, huh. Why would Skullivar employ him anyway? He's not the kind to enjoy the company of children or mortals, or anyone's company beside Captain Bones.'_

"He said only I could use my dad's lucky charm, and that it has the "Eye of Vapir" on it. He said something about a key and seven seas and eyes. Do you know what it means?"

Calico's eyes widened. "Shhhh! Speak lower!" he told Zak, grasping him by the shoulder. "You have the Eye of Vapir in your possession?"

"Uh, yeah." whispered Zak. "It gave me ghost powers but I don't even know what it means. Who's Vapir?"

"Listen, kid. The Eye of Vapir belongs to the Sea of Vapir, a sea where you encounter ghosts and illusions, that's where our base, Netherwhere, is. You're in the Sea of Vapir with us at the moment."

"Huh? So Vapir is a place? Wait, Seven Eyes? Seven Seas? That means there are other jewels with powers in other places?"

"Exactly. Your father never told you if he had it?"

"No, he never said anything about the Triangle. He talked about being a captain, but I don't remember him talking about this place."

There was something off with this kid's tale. So he found the Eye of Vapir outside the Triangle? That was... suspicious. How and where did the human's father find a way to escape without the Great Key and with the Eye of Vapir? Everyone knew that, to escape the Triangle, one Captain must use the Great Key with all of the Eyes of the Seven Seas in it to find the Seven Locks and open the barriers between the Triangle and the rest of the universe.

"Your father musta been there before if he knew this thing was magic."

"So... that means he could tell me how to get out! Do you have a phone, mister?"

"A what?"

"A phone! Or wait, you pirates don't use phones to talk? Oh yeah, you use messages in bottles, I forgot. But don't you have a phone cabin on your ship?"

"I don't know what a phone is, but if you're trying to contact someone outside the Triangle, you better drop it, kid. We can't receive signals from outside, even with our best machines."

Zak pouted. He really couldn't escape this unless he did work with Skullivar.

"Hmph! Not cool." he said as he laid on the old bed.

"Don't ya worry, Skullivar usually takes the strongest people in his army to defeat his enemies, you probably are gonna be a champ in no time."

"Really?!" asked Zak, suddenly excited. Calico chuckled at how quick the boy's mood was to change. Humans were really sensitive creatures.

"Yeah, well, if Bones is training you, I suppose you must be a pretty big deal."

"He's the one training me? But he's all mean. And, I do find his cape and hat cool, and his hook too, kinda wanna get me one too, but he's so rude!"

"That's how pirates are, we're not chumps, altar boys or little kids. No offense."

"I'm not a kid! Soon, I'll be 9, and then 10, and I'll be a grownup!"

Calico really found the boy amusing. He had yet to tell him about time not passing in the Triangle, this kid would stay a kid forever until he left the Triangle, and that would take a while.

"Bones knows how to value his opponents, I'm sure he'll see your worth when you have to be trained."

"I hope I don't need to practice eating bugs or laughing like a maniac, I didn't study pirates at school yet." Zak worried. "Do I have to?"

"I don't know what you were told about us pirates, but clearly you don't know about Skullivar's army. It is a bit rough here, and I wish I could change how things are for me and my comrades, but you'll get used to it. The pirate life, not acting like a fool."

Zak was unsure about how to feel. He just agreed for a new life. He wanted to be a surfer, not a pirate. And whoever the Captain who could use the Great Key was, he wasn't sure he could give away his dad's lucky charm to them.

This was so, so bad. He messed up so much. Could he even look at his parents' faces when he'd come back home? He disobeyed them, got lost and now he was gonna be part of a group of thieves and undead people.

But he had to stand strong for now, just until he was back with his dad. Afterwards, he would stop caring about anything and would enjoy life the way it was, he wouldn't ask for more.

"Okay, mister Calico. I think I'll try."

"Just call me Calico, kid. And welcome aboard! Our ship is called The Demoniac, our Master is Skullivar, our Captain is Golden Bones, and I'm the First Mate Calico."

Zak giggled at how proud he sounded. Did he do this whenever he had new recruits?  _'Wait, how do they hire new people in here? Skeletons can't age, they're dead. Do other skeletons come in? Why do they all look alike though? And they look so similar to each other? How do they make skeletons in here? Hey, at least I'm talking to myself in my head now!'_

Suddenly, his stomach growled, and Zak felt more hungry than he has ever been. "Uh, do you know when is dinner ready? I'm starving."

"Huh? Didn't Skullivar give you anything to eat yet? We found you last night."

"Last night?! So I missed dinner, breakfast  _and_  lunch?! Mom would be so mad!"

Calico couldn't contain his laughter this time around, the kid was... too much! Zak crossed his hands annoyed at the skeleton laughing at him.

"Come on, Zak." he patted Zak's back, lending his hand. "Bones wants you ready for tomorrow morning. You might as well eat something before he reduces you in pieces, it'd be boring if his opponent is as thin as a wire."

"Haha, very funny, my sides hurt." Zak pouted, taking his hand. "Ouch! They really do! I really need to eat, and sleep. Even though I think I slept enough for the week."

Zak followed the skeletons in the alleys of Netherwhere. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

"What do you skeletons even eat? Can you eat?"

"Ever heard of the  _Netherwhere moldy grub S_ _pecial_?"

"Do I wanna know what that is and what it tastes like?" asked Zak, a bit scared of the answer.

"I guess that's a no for both of us then."

"Ew."

And so began Zak Storm's new role, as a member of Skullivar's crew, and a friend of Calico.

Only person left that Zak still had to deal with for now, Golden Bones was waiting for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus begins a new lifestyle for dear little Zak!
> 
> If Zak was gonna be stuck with Skullivar's army, might as well give him a pal! Good thing Calico's got a good metaphorical heart under that iron chest
> 
> For Skullivar, you may not know, but he and Zak's dad share a voice actor. He might've been the focus instead of Bones if I gave a damn about him, but well, that's not the skeleton dad Zak will have in this fic.
> 
> I'm not gonna introduce the other 7Cs yet, Zak is too young to meet them and even consider become a Captain one day. However, he will meet them at some point in time, when his relationship with his new dad has developed.
> 
> Also, about the "not aging in the Triangle", I saw on the wiki and deduced that time doesn't pass in the Triangle. Crogar is from another era, Clovis is a century or two early, yet even for the former, he doesn't age. Beside the concept of time itself existing (AKA food rotting, getting hungry, getting tired), no character ever ages, so Calico believes Zak won't ever age while he's in the Triangle.
> 
> I hope you guys liked this chapter and I'll see you next time. Heato, out!


	3. First trial

"Stay on your toes!"

Zak had to admit, sword-fighting training looked cooler, more fun and less intense in the movies than in real life.

As soon as he went with the other skeletons inside the training area, they all started jumping on each other, tackling each other with their cutlasses, reducing each other to literal pieces. And he was supposed to take part in that.

Thankfully, they weren't paying that much attention to him, too busy throwing each other's rib cages all over the place. Though he did feel they did so because they were judging him, undermining him...

He didn't know a thing about using swords beside what he saw on TV, and there were no training dummies around. He assumed they didn't need to, since they could restore themselves almost immediately, but he was human, his body parts wouldn't just go back into place if he wanted them to. And he really didn't want to become a skeleton like the rest of them (how did that even work?), Skullivar was gonna be mad if he didn't fulfill his part of their agreement.

He couldn't fight like the rest of them, and he didn't know how to. What was he going to do about it?

He felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Ya look like ya need some help." said Calico.

"Yeah, I got like, zero idea how to do it the way you guys do. Is this why I'm the only human in this team?"

"You got it. Usually, mortals aren't part of our army, because when they die, they die for good. But I'll let you on a secret (to no one), most of us break easily."

"You do? What about that thing parents say about growing tough and strong bones when eating your vegetables?"

"I got no idea if we got vegetables in our food, but I do know the highest ranked of our members are the ones who can keep up a fight the longest without interruption. Those who don't need to recover are the ones Golden Bones values the most. Ya got skin and muscles to keep your bones together, you should be fine."

"Yeah, I've got more than a skeleton." said Zak. "But I don't know how to fight. And I'm not sure I wanna confront any of your friends, they don't look like they like me too much."

"Just spend some time with us, they'll see you like a brother in ribs. At least, that's how they saw it when I became First Mate, we don't really share a lot of affection around here. Skullivar thinks it's a weakness to show attachment when it goes against being loyal to him."

"Makes sense, he doesn't really look like Mister Hugs and Cuddles. Could you help me use my sword?"

* * *

Golden Bones sighed.

His master had ordered him to train a human. How could he possibly make a weakling into a warrior?

This was a child, one made of flesh and blood, he wasn't immortal like they were, he would get his guts handed to him at the first fight he'd get into. He was faithful to Skullivar, but the task at hand seemed impossible.

Yes, the boy could use the Eye of Vapir. But what use would it be to his master without the Great Key or the other Eyes to open the waypoint to other worlds?

Not to mention, he doubted this was the one the prophecies spoke of, the one who would open the Triangle, who will reunite the Seven Seas and command them...

That kid barely showed respect towards him or Skullivar, and he kept ridiculing his master's orders. There was  _a lot_  of work to go over, they weren't getting out of this mess any time soon.

"There! See, you're making progress!"

"Take that! Ha! That'll show you!"

And apparently, the child had already begun making himself known to his troops. He'd better not make too much noise while he was in there, otherwise Bones won't be the only one wanting to throw him overboard.

"You're a quick learner, kid!"

"You're not so bad yourself!"

Decidedly, the child's presence changed the ambiance at the training ground. What kind of trouble was he causing?

Golden Bones decided to take a look at what was going on. But as soon as he opened the door, he saw... the boy dribbling on one of his soldier's skulls like a basketball.

"Not so tough, are you? Your head is emptier than I imagined."

"Watch it!" warned the skull in his hand.

Instinctively, Zak ducked, dodging another skeleton lunging at him and going between his legs. Said skeleton turned around, realizing Zak dodged, before having his arm taken away when Zak cut it off with his cutlass, kicking him in the ribs and making him fall into pieces.

"Thanks for the warning!" said Zak.

"That wasn't for you." the skull he held groaned. Zak threw him away.

The boy ran up to another soldier, blocking an attack with his cutlass. The skeleton he faced laughed at the attempt, until Zak gave a kick to his legs, making him fall down. Another was coming at him, but Zak acted faster, throwing one of his comrades' skull to his head, leaving the soldier headless.

The adrenaline was rushing through his body. There was a lot of action going on, reminding him of when he used to play basketball with his friends and classmates. Sword fighting was dangerous, but it was getting as fun as in the movies.

He saw Calico coming up.

"What, scared of facing the newbie?" he teased.

"In your dreams, kid! Scared isn't part of my title!" said Calico.

Surprisingly, the boy was keeping up. Human children had something a lot of people, even human adults, underestimated: beside the ability of being difficult and stubborn, they had a lot of energy to spare. And when kept healthy enough, they could go for hours without breaking a sweat.

And right now, Zak was wiping the floor when going one-on-one.

Bones frowned. If the kid was being arrogant, humiliating his troops and taking advantage that Skullivar needed him, Bones had to act out fast and put him back in place before problems really started.

"Enough!"

The melee around him was interrupted, and everyone looked at the general. Bones didn't seem happy (that was nothing new for Zak), the skeletons stood in silence, some reforming to get back on track.

The captain eyed Zak intensely. Zak knew what that look meant: the pirate was judging him, or he wanted something from him. Either way, he was in trouble.

"What are you doing in here?" asked Golden Bones.

"I'm here to train. You said I had to, so I came with the others to practice."

"You won't train with the rest of our army until I deem you worthy of."

_'Here it comes.'_  Zak rolled his eyes.

"I just proved myself! Calico showed me how to use this thing! I'm not gonna cut myself using it like two dozens of your men are doing." argued Zak, pointing to a few skeletons who had several lines on their arms.

"Calico's techniques aren't anything for your level yet!"

"What, swiping left and right? He showed me the basics and I can already manage with those. I could even win with a tennis racket instead of a sword!"

If boned creatures could gulp, that would certainly be what the skeletons around them would've done.

"You little..." fumed Bones. "I'll show you what I do to little impertinents like you. En garde!" he said, holding his hook in direction of Zak.

Zak frowned. This was another of those bullies who thought he 'needed discipline'. He wasn't gonna back down a challenge, even if he could get himself hurt doing something he's never done before.

"General Bones, he's still a novice, maybe we should-"

"I know what I am doing and I will not let this runt fool around in my troops unpunished. Everyone step back."

The skeletons complied. A few seemed to doubt this was a good idea, some others seemed excited to see the confrontation, already making bets on how Zak would end up defeated.

This was an unfair fight between Captain Bones and the Amulet Kid (name Zak got when he went for dinner in front of everyone). The results could be seen from miles away. Though Calico didn't seem to follow the same idea as his comrades...

Both opponents were facing each other, determined to show the other what they were made of. Zak wasn't scared, Bones had no qualm against hurting a child. This could be interesting to watch.

"I'll give you a chance, boy. If you manage to knock my hook off with that toothpick you're holding, I'll let you stay. If however I take your sword away, you'll end up swimming with the krakens and I'll tell Skullivar you ran away."

"Deal!" teased Zak.

The odds weren't with Zak, this would be quick to end.

Without a warning, Bones charged at Zak. The kid crouched rolled to the side, avoiding his blade. The pirate swiped at him fiercely, as if he was trying to swat a bug. But Zak didn't win one of the last school competitions for nothing. And to the surprise of everyone, when Bones seemed to get his hand on him, Zak  _jumped on Bones' arm_ , climbed on his shoulder and caught on to his cape.

Golden Bones grunted, trying to catch the boy. But Zak was now on his back, holding on to him while still having the cutlass in hand.

"Get back here, you little jumping eel! Running away and playing the monkey won't save you forever!"

Bones shook himself at every direction in an attempt to grab him, but Zak was stubborn.

The soldiers gasped at the boy's ruse. Their commander always faced bigger creature, it was unexpected to see a human child give him any trouble.

Eventually, Bones grew tired of the little game Zak was playing at. Without another word, he seized a part of his cape, tugged hard on it and pulled it over himself, throwing Zak on the ground.

The boy yelped in pain. "Face it, kid. You don't have what it takes to be part of Skullivar's army. Give up now and give me that amulet of yours now if you want a chance to live."

But Zak wasn't done yet. His arm was aching, but despite all the action, he hadn't dropped the cutlass yet. He stood back, his legs trembling.

"You can barely stand. If you really want to end as kraken food, you're getting your wish."

Zak lunged at him, sword in hand. Predictably, Bones just grabbed his arm where the handle was, raising him into the air. Zak shook his legs, trying to free himself.

"Give up. I caught you now, you lost."

"No! The rules said you needed to take my sword away, and I'm still holding it. You haven't won yet!"

Bones rolled his eyes. He shook Zak off, while the kid's grip was still tight. He shook the boy with more energy, but Zak wasn't dropping any sooner.

The whole scene was amusing to the soldiers watching, though they restrained themselves from laughing, fearing Bones would get mad.

"You really have no intent on surrendering, do you?"

"Nope!" grinned Zak in a teasing way.

"Hmm, I like your guts, kid, but this isn't going anywhere. I have you now, you'll tire eventually and lose."

"Heh! You sure about that?" Zak brought his hand to his necklace, then brought it to Bones' face. His shirt glowed white as he shouted "Give me the Eye of Vapir!"

A strong gust of wind came out of his arm, freeing him and pushing Bones away, making the man slam on the wall.

There was a silence as the skeletons realized what Zak just did.

Did he just... defeat Captain Bones?

Calico smiled. The kid really was special after all. Having him as a comrade promised to be an interesting experience.

Golden Bones grunted in great annoyance. The boy dared humiliating him? Fine, he wasn't giving up either, especially against a child. Zak walked up to him, the Eye of Vapir's power rushing through him.

With the added speed of the magic, Zak flew to him and, his shirt going back to red, he dropped his blade on Bones' hand before the man could react.

There was a strong metallic sound, and into the wall at the other side of the room the hook went and got stuck.

Bones hadn't said a word while the boy was panting. There were numerous levels of anger he never reached before, he had to have passed plenty of them by now.

The child had dared standing up to him,  _humiliate him repeatedly_ , brag about something he barely knew anything of and used the Eye of Vapir to make him look ridiculous in front of his army.

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT A REAL CAPTAIN CAN DO!"

He tried to grab Zak, but the kid stepped back just in time, shouting "Give me the Eye of Vapir!" again. Bones has had enough of the foolery he was roped into, it wasn't like this kid would teach him how to fight. But before he could get to him...

Zak released an energy orb on the ground, and suddenly a fog was present inside the room.

The skeletons started cheering. This was better than they expected! For once, they didn't have Golden Bones' speech about respect and complying like they did whenever one of them joined the front lines, the Amulet Kid managed to put up a fight!

"Hiding won't get you anywhere, I'll catch you and toy with your remains!" shouted Bones.

"You sure about that?"

Bones turned around, trying to catch what he couldn't see.

"Missed me!"

He was getting more and more irritated...

"Nope, not there!"

He failed to grab Zak when he felt something tear up his cape. This child was driving him crazy...

"Still didn't got it!"

He was about to snap...

"Okay, enough playing!"

The fog dissipated, just enough for Zak to reappear and, as everyone held their breath, he  _tackled Golden Bones down_ , lunging at his chest with all his strength.

Everyone stared. Zak was panting. Captain Bones was on the floor. Zak still had his cutlass in hand, Bones lost his hook. Zak brought down their general in a one-on-one confrontation, and didn't lose his bet.

Zak... won against Captain Bones?

"You little..." Bones panted on the ground.

"I... I won your stupid bet, Bones... so, I get to stay here..." Zak said in-between gasps. "Leave me be now... Ugh, I feel sick..."

"I won't let you get away with..." he coughed (how can skeletons cough? Do they have lungs or organs inside their bones?). "You need discipline and I'll give it to you..."

"You..." Zak panted. "You're not my dad... Give it up and let me..." he fell to his knees.

The skeletons took advantage that both were down to get them away from each other before the fight could start again.

"What are you doing?! I need to-"

"General Bones, the kid is already all beaten up now." said Carver, the skeleton that looked similar to a cyborg. "We need to reintegrate your hook back in place, and you need to rest." He tried to reason, giving the blade back to him.

"I don't need your advice to tell me how I should deal with this pest! I'll-"

"You're not throwing a tantrum because of a little child, Captain, right?" asked Calico.

Bones glared at him. "Don't meddle with what doesn't concern you, Calico."

"If I may, Master Skullivar needs him alive, we can't afford to lose him. He learned his lesson now, he looks about to faint. Let's give it a rest and you can put him back in his place when he can actually put up a fight."

Zak felt offended they talked about him as if he was the one who lost. He was however thankful they were taking his defense.

Bones groaned in annoyance. He was itching to cut down this fleshy pest in pieces, but he knew his First Mate was right. He'd have to wait another occasion to tone down this runt's insolence. Though considering his attitude, he may not have to wait long. Until then...

"Fine, you can stay! But don't come crying if you can't catch up with the rest of my soldiers."

With a grunt, he left the room. Several minutes passed by, before the skeletons started cheering.

Zak was taken aback as he was held in the air by some soldiers. Was this what it felt like to be a rock star?

"Good job, kiddo!" said a skeleton.

"Yeah, that was amazing!" said another.

"We never could stand up to Captain Bones like that!"

"He'd always lecture us whenever we had something to say!"

"Huh?" Zak was confused. So this Golden Bones pirate had a big crew, but they were scared of him?  _'I think Dad needs to give this guy a few Captain lessons. They're gonna abandon him when he expects it the least.'_

"See? Told ya you didn't need to worry, kiddo." said Calico.

"Okay but, isn't Bones gonna come after me now? He let me stay, but he probably hates me."

"Don't worry." said a skeleton. "He said he liked your guts, remember?"

"Uh, yeah. When he looked about to cut me in half and show them to me. Say, can you guys put me down?"

And so they did. They've had a lot to learn about humans, Zak fell flat on the ground when they dropped him. They didn't know he didn't split and reform the way he did.

"I'm gonna feel that one in the morning..." gasped Zak. Calico helped him get up.

"Like I said, he likes those who can put up a real fight. He pretended ya were a wimp, but I'm sure he found battling against you amusing."

"Really?"  _'Wait, why do I care?'_

"Come on, kid!" said a skeleton, tapping his back. "You need to tell us where you learned to move like that!"

"Yeah, gladly. But, uh, mind taking five? I don't think I've done this much exercise before." said Zak, feeling burned out.

The others laughed at their new comrade.

Zak wasn't a normal kid, and he didn't seem like a normal fighter. But for the time being, he seemed like a nice brother-in-arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terribly sorry for the long wait for this chapter.
> 
> Looking back, I realize this idea can be risky if it contradicts canon. I'm trying to stay as close to canon as possible (got a surprise planned!) while making this an AU. I'll have time to work this fic better when season 2 comes by, so sorry if I don't update much, I'm trying to make sure I don't make a bad step with this AU.
> 
> Now, Zak is actually welcomed by his new bony bros! Let's just hope it lasts while Skullivar still finds him useful...
> 
> Also, nobody in this chapter is realizing the irony they've got coming.


	4. Tough to Swallow

Zak put his hands on his mouth, wondering if his face was turning green like in comics.

"Hey kid, aren't you supposed to not have seasickness when you're part of a pirate crew?" asked a skeleton next to him, taking his meal.

"I love going on a boat when I'm not surfing, but usually," Zak gasped before resuming, "Mom doesn't let me eat rotten food during the trip."

"One human's trash is a skeleton's treasure." said another skeleton, sipping what was probably not supposed to be a soup.

"Thanks, but I have a skeleton in my body too." complained Zak. "And unlike yours, it doesn't magically get fixed or stronger. I need normal food, like soda or candies."

The boy left the canteen, going through the hallways to look for the water leak. It was the closest the skeletons had to a sink, aside from the one in the kitchens, and Zak wasn't sure if the water was cleaner in there or not. He washed his face, trying not to puke.

It had been a few weeks since the last incident. Bones stopped trying to get him thrown off The Demoniac, but the kindness thing wasn't there yet. On the other hand, he seemed to gain more respect from his skeleton buddies now.

Well, it did mean they weren't ignoring him much during training anymore, but it also meant he had to train twice as harder. He wondered if it was the case when they all joined, or when Skullivar created them all or whatever.

If anything, the hardest issue he had to face, was the food. He apologized to his mom for not eating all his vegetables before, those would've been the last real food he would've eaten. Well, aside from the candy bar and the caramels he kept in his pocket for the first few days.

He missed eating something that actually made sense and didn't look like bat puke. He heard that, on Beru, there was an island called Marituga, where the food is better and actually eatable, with lots of candies in there. But there was also a lot of shady pirates and thieves, and for the Eye of Vapir's sake, Zak wouldn't be allowed to go there until Golden Bones deemed him able to.

It goes without saying that Zak would probably never visit Marituga until Bones retired, Skullivar perished or Netherwhere was sucked into a portal to Beru. He heard that the portals in the Triangle, the vortexes, could get someone from a sea to another, as long as they knew where they were going. He heard some skeletons once got lost because the vortexes they found all led to Sino, the Sea of Ice.

There was also a rumor they got from Beru fishermen. Someone spotted a giant jellyfish, one that could open portals at will. It sounded pretty ridiculous of a story, but Zak was ready to believe anything after discovering the Bermuda Triangle existed. If they caught that jellyfish, maybe there was a hope they could cook it and Zak could taste normal meat.

He still wondered why Skullivar wanted to go outside the Triangle. If he ruled it as he said, why would he want to leave his home? Zak's guts told him maybe Skullivar had an evil plan to rule over the world... but he doubted it was possible with a few skeletons only. If even he, a kid, could defeat them easily, they weren't that impressive.

But did Golden Bones stand a chance?

* * *

Bones grumbled as he looked at The Demoniac preparing itself to leave.

His Master Skullivar ordered him to start looking for another piece of armor for his collection. He wanted Bones to gather all fragments of that armor for when they'd finally take over the world outside the Triangle, claiming he needed a worthy emissary.

Bones, who already occupied that role, wasn't too happy about gathering pieces of junk supposed to replace him. But he was certain he might've just misunderstood his master's intentions, he wasn't expandable after all. The rest of their soldiers were.

Except, for the boy.

He was still annoyed he had to put up with that weakling, just because he had the power of using the Eye of Vapir. Who wanted to deal with a brat for the rest of their quest? And he was certain Skullivar didn't need that brat to be all powerful, his powers were already enough as the Master of Vapir and the Triangle itself.

Maybe if the boy could use the power of Calabrass, he'd be of use. But it was impossible Calabrass could choose such a weak human as his captain, anyone with common sense would understand.

Spotting Carver, he walked to the cybernetic skeleton, expecting his report.

"Have you located where the gauntlet might be hidden?" asked Bones.

"Affirmative, Golden Bones. Our last shipment found a map hidden in one of the traps of the forge in the Sea of Blazz. It was hidden in a faraway cave underwater, in the Sea of Vapir itself."

"If it was in our grasp this whole time, we should already have it by now."

Carver could tell Bones was more annoyed than usual. Zak had to come with them for the first time since he came aboard their crew, and he could cause serious trouble if he lost the Eye of Vapir or drowned. The golden skeleton obviously didn't like that he had to look over him.

And as far as he knew, the feeling was mutual. Zak seemed annoyed by Bones ordering him around, defying him during their first training session and even telling him that 'he wasn't his dad'.

Whoever the kid's parents were, they must've had nerves of steel to put up with Zak for so many years. Then again, humans are more comfortable with their own than with other creatures. Though it was a mystery how Calico managed to fraternize with him so fast...

"Get everyone ready to set sail, we can't afford making Master Skullivar wait any longer."

Bones walked away stomping. It was going to be a long,  _long_ , trip.

* * *

As Zak boarded The Demoniac, he could feel he was being looked at.

Whether it was by the other skeletons, or by Skullivar in his fortress, or by Bones who was still not tolerating him. Or by that weird eye thing he thought he saw in the water, but turned out just to be a big blowfish.

They were told they had to go under the water to gather an item. But since he didn't have the Eye of Beru, he'd have to stay on board with some soldiers to defend The Demoniac in case something bad happened to it.

What would happen to it here? Beside ghosts and other monstrous creatures that look straight out of a horror movie, what could possibly happen to The Demoniac?

The boat could really use a paint job, maybe some red and blue here and there. And maybe make it look like an actual ship instead of a ghost ship (maybe it looked like that because they wanted to scare people?).

He looked at the waves on the dark waters, recalling when he could surf on them.

What were his parents thinking right now? They were probably worried sick. And his dad would know he did something wrong when he'd see the Eye of Vapir was gone.

Why would he even let it hang in the open that way? To think Zak could've accidentally landed there earlier... Then again, it's because he stole his dad's lucky charm that all of this happened, and he had to hope Skullivar would give it back when he'd finally go home.

He knew they needed to find something called The Great Key Calabrass, who was told to be an old acquaintance of Bones and Skullivar due to past encounters. A talking sword with the powers of the Seven Seas who used to be a pirate before being cursed into becoming a sword.

For some odd reason, it reminded Zak on something he saw on TV or in a video game. Except it was voluntary instead of a curse, and the hero had a blue talking companion and defeated big monsters (he wasn't sure if it was a sword or a scythe anymore, it had a big giant weird blade). Weren't there also cartoon animals in there?

If he could find Calabrass, maybe he could finally go home. But he had to help Skullivar first, and find the seven waypoints that would open the Seven Locks inside the Triangle and get them outside. How did humans who got lost in there find their way? What did they do?

Did they go live on an island forever? Like Peter Pan? If it was the case, he didn't like working with "Captain Golden Hook Skeleton" over there. People in there must've felt lost like him, but where did they live now?

More importantly, how would everyone take it when everyone else comes out of the Triangle? His classmates would freak out when they'd see him as a pirate from a another dimension, they might even be scared if he became like all these skeletons...

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a cold hand on his shoulder.

"You doin' okay, kiddo?" asked Calico.

"Yeah, just..." he gulped, "a bit nauseous."

"You feelin' seasick?"

"No, it's just... I don't know how to say it..."

"You look like you got a lot on your plate."

Zak covered his mouth, clearly irritated. "Can you not talk about food?" His reaction amused the one-eyed skeleton. "But yeah, I'm still thinking about this mess."

"What's there to think about? You're part of a crew, what's the big deal?"

"I don't know..." said Zak, "I guess it's because I never was a pirate before, even if I wanted to. I'm not even sure all of this works out when I'm not from the Triangle, maybe something bad could happen or, maybe I won't be able to go home like I want to..."

Calico tilted his skull in confusion. "Hey kid. I know this sounds weak and it probably doesn't help, but maybe you're just overthinking. In the Triangle, we don't think twice before going forward, we jump right into the face of danger with all of our bravery. You're just not used to it yet."

"Maybe you're right..." sighed Zak. "What are we looking for again?"

"Ever heard of Morlock the Unstoppable?"

"Isn't that a mutant gang from my comics?"

"Er, I don't think so. There's a legend about an armor so strong, nothing can destroy it. If powered up, it could easily stop an entire army. Skullivar wants all pieces of it for his collection."

"So he's not gonna wear it? Good, he looks so weird with those green marks and that weird thing he's wearing I don't think he'd look good in an armor."

"Haha, be careful not saying that in front of Bones, he's not gonna like it if you criticize Skullivar that openly."

"So what is he gonna use that armor for?"

Calico shrugged. "Who knows? What I know is that he's been looking for all pieces for years, decades. Maybe it's just that valuable."

"Sometimes, I forget he's a pirate too." said Zak, noticing Skullivar never left Netherwhere and never sailed it off its spot.

If anything, Skullivar was more of a warlock or a wizard than a pirate.

"Why does Bones care so much about working for Skullivar anyway? Is there really something to win when he leads you all? He just looks like one of those kids in my class who keeps sucking up to our teacher."

"He was made for this, it's his entire reason to live." explained Calico. "If Skullivar wasn't there, neither would be Golden Bones. He's loyal to him to a fault and so are we. Even if sometimes, I wonder if there isn't a simpler way to live our life."

"Bones needs a hobby, maybe you guys too. I'm not an expert, buuuuut my dad taught me how to surf."

"Surf?"

"You go on a surfboard, and you ride on the waves as they come!"

"Hmm, we do have something akin to that with our pterodactyls and boats when we're on water, and in the air. We take a rope we attach to them and they drive us on the water or above tornadoes."

"Uhhhh, I think that's water skiing. And, tornadoes?"

"You haven't seen the Sea of Aeria yet, right? It's full of storms and hurricanes in there, you better hang on tight when the time comes."

As soon as he said that, the Demoniac shook slightly, coming to a stop. Zak was noticeably the only one losing his balance and falling flat when that happened, much to the amusement of the skeletons nearby who saw him.

"Like you should have now." commented Calico, making Zak groan.

"I've been more on a board than a boat, give me a break."

He noticed the only one who wasn't amused was Golden Bones, who was glaring at him from afar. While he couldn't hear what was said, Zak guessed Bones was just annoyed he was sympathizing instead of biting the dust.

"Our treasure is hidden far underneath the water. All current regiments aboard come, except the seventh." he ordered. "That includes you, child." he pointed at Zak.

Zak felt like rolling his eyes or outright telling him he was exasperating, but he chose to keep a low profile. "Yes, captain."

Bones looked at him, seemingly looking for a reason to get him in trouble. He just waved to the skeletons to follow, then jumped right in the water, leaving only a few soldiers and Zak on board.

* * *

"I wish we'd see more people." sighed the boy, looking at the bright blue sky. "Don't you too, Chaos?"

The pirate ship made a sound, answering to the young ghost chained to it.

"It's just so lonely around here. I mean, we don't see any of Bones and his crew in a while and that's good, but I wish I had someone to play with." said Clovis. "Maybe next time, I could show them my new ball and chain trick!" he suggested, before making a sound of exasperation and falling back onto the floor, phasing through it.

He couldn't help it if he was alone. Either people thought this was a ghost ship, either they wanted to steal it and the Chaos got rid of them. He still had to figure out who the skull figurehead on the ship was.

He felt that it was supposed to be special, that weird thing on one of the sails. A skull with markings on it and green eyes, looking different from Skullivar's little goons. It had that metal rudder on it with seven spots in there. All of them had weird grey marbles with the symbols of the Seven Seas, but the one for Vapir was missing.

When Clovis saw it at first, he guessed there was something to find in Vapir to complete the puzzle, but he'd rather not go back there when Bones and Skullivar were always nearby.

If Bones himself didn't come to take the skull, it must not have been that important. Probably wasn't worth getting himself prisoner with the rest of the Chaos.

Still, he was curious to see what would happen if he were to find the last piece, with the hope he wouldn't have to take it from a bunch of jerky greedy ghosts. Last time they checked Vapir, they didn't find anything before the skeletons came after them, and he couldn't really leave the Chaos aside from raising himself above the air for a few meters away.

But now just about no one came to Beru aside from a few lost fishermen who needed a ride back to Marituga. Clovis missed the caramels in there, very people would agree to buy him a bag of candies from the market.

It'd be so much more fun with other people on board, but for now, they still didn't have a Captain.

* * *

"You're looking blue, kid."

"It's the weather." said Zak.

"No, like, you don't look good. Didn't you eat enough earlier?"

Zak gulped, preventing his stomach from emptying itself through his mouth. "I swear, if any of you keeps talking about food, I'll turn your ribs into toothpicks." he threatened.

It earned him a few laughs from the others.

"You're funny when you're angry like that, you sound like Captain Bones."

"I. Am not. Like Bones." he said, frowning. "Do I look ready to throw overboard the first idiot that comes to tell me they lost their pistol to a jellyfish?"

He didn't realize the irony of that sentence, so the laughs kept going while lessening a bit.

"Speaking of which, how is he gonna breathe in there without one of those diving suits?" asked Zak.

"We're skeletons, we don't have lungs, we don't need to breathe." said a skeleton.

"But, you can still smell?" This did silence the rest of the crew as they remembered they did have trouble breathing when it wasn't something underwater. "Anyway, why can't this thing help me breathe?" complained Zak, looking at his amulet.

"Vapir is the sea of spirits and ghosts, you'd need the Eye of Beru to breathe under water."

_'I wonder why Dad took the one magic stone from Mister Sea Wizard over there instead of that one.'_

"What does Beru even look like?"

"It's pretty boring. The sky is a bright blue and so is the water. It's full of human pirates and fishermen and there's no illusions in there to make things more exciting. There's more fish than danger in there, and it's full of what humans call oases or something."

"That sounds so much like back home..." pouted Zak. Beru sounded like a cool place.

Did it really look like a normal sea? Were there no weird creatures in there trying to eat them? And if he went there, would he ever meet other humans? He wished he knew.

"I wish I could at least surf a bit, it's so calm for a ghost sea."

The other skeletons raised their brows (or more like, the part of the skull where the brow would've been).

"Oh yeah, you never heard of surfing, did you?"

Zak started giving out the explanations, remembering when his father used to show him. He always took the time to tell him about how surfing works, looked like it was his turn to teach someone how to surf. Even when he still had a lot to learn himself.

Then the ship shook.

"Wow!" said Zak, managing to keep balance this time. "What's happening?"

Suddenly, a giant tentacle came out of the water, waving around before coming back under the surface.

"The Kraken!"

_'So Dad wasn't lying when he told me it would eat me if I stayed in the water too long. Does that mean he was also saying the truth when he said the Kraken would eat me if I didn't take my bath?'_

Everyone readied themselves, holding their cutlasses. Bones should be back any minute now, he could help them combat this thing.

The sea monster came out of the water, its cyclops eye looking at the ship in hunger. Zak knew he had to fight unless he wanted to be next on the menu. He however didn't see one thing coming.

The Kraken had its tentacles out, with a few soldiers on it trying to cut them out. One of the tentacles dropped a chest on the ship, and he guessed it was their treasure. However, there was something else the Kraken had. Or rather someone.

Bones was struggling to free himself, it seemed the giant tentacled creature wanted to eat him. Thankfully, he spotted Calico riding one of the tentacles, running to his rescue. Except he got caught too.

Carver managed to climb the ship's bow, ordering everyone around. "Activate the cannons! And get to work, we have a fight to win!"

A few cannonballs were shot, most of them were gulped down by the hungry monster. Zak jumped climbed on one of the sails and jumped to Calico, swinging the sword at the tentacle to free his friend.

"Need a hand?" he said, flailing the blade at the tendril without much success. "Give me the Eye of Vapir!"

His shirt glowed white, and he threw an energy orb at the tentacle, making the monster growl before dropping Calico on The Demoniac. Zak jumped on another tentacle, the power boost allowing him not to fall.

"Come on, kid! Get 'im!"

Zak knew what he had to do and ran up to Bones, jumping and using his blade to shield himself from the tentacles attacking. It almost felt like he was in a video game, but Zak wasn't playing.

He finally reached Bones, gripping on the slimy tendril to get to him.

"What are you doing?!" scolded the captain, trying to free himself on his own.

"Saving you, that's what!"

"I don't need the help of a brat to get rid of this annoyance!"

"You don't need to stay with Mr Sea Monster either, so let's speed things up!"

Zak swung his blade several times, unable to harm the tendril's hard skin. And soon the creature was gonna bring them to its mouth and eat them if he didn't do anything.

"You're wasting your time and the Eye of Vapir's energy, return to the Demoniac now!"

"If saving you was a waste, I'd still do it anyway! Hang on tight!"

"I don't really have a choice..." muttered Bones, rolling his eyes.

Zak focused intensely, and with all of his strength, he released a big wave of energy towards the cyclops' eye, confusing it. It made a pained sound as it finally dropped them, returning underneath the water.

Suddenly, the Eye of Vapir's power died out and Zak's shirt was red again. Which meant he wasn't flying anymore.

Which meant he was falling.

Realizing this, he closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact. He knew he couldn't get through a fall that high without getting injured, Bones would finally be rid of him. He'd probably throw him overboard and let him drown with broken bones, or let him be Kraken food now that he'd be useless.

Then, he felt cold arms wrap around him as he was falling, then he heard a metallic sound.

He felt he wasn't falling anymore and opened his eyes. He had the time to see Bones clutching him in his arms while standing on The Demoniac's floor, before dropping him without a warning.

"Ouch!"

Zak pouted at what the skeleton did, and was surprised. Did...

Did Bones prevent him from being hurt?

"Next time, listen to me when I tell you to stay put." said Bones. "We don't need you making this any more difficult."

Zak was about to retort, but he noticed something unusual. Golden Bones usually had a pirate hat, which was now missing. He'd almost laugh, but a step back made him realize where it fell.

With a sigh of relief, Zak grabbed the hat and handed it over. "Yes, Captain Bones." he said, without adding anything.

His unusually obedient reaction confused Bones, who was about to say something, but stopped himself. He put his hat back on and walked away before stopping again.

"Your behavior was reckless, but, you put that power of yours for good use, for once. Try to be more useful at something and less of someone in the way next time."

Surprisingly again, Zak didn't retort. The boy was smiling, feeling he was being complimented for once. Maybe it wouldn't be as hard as he thought.

As Bones walked back to the Captain's cabin, Carver approached him.

"So, how was the boy's performance this time, Captain?"

"Well... he wasn't as much of a burden than expected." said Bones. "But he still has a lot to learn about respect." he quickly added.

Carver felt there was something behind those words. "But he still learned something?"

Bones hummed. "Hmm, I suppose he did."

Meanwhile, Calico was helping a few of his fellow skeletons get back on board with Zak's help.

"So, what did you think of Bones this time?"

"He wasn't as mean and bossy as I thought, but he still got a lot to learn about me. I don't give up quick when I know what I'm doing."

"Does that mean that he finally accepted you on the crew?"

"Maybe." shrugged Zak. "Gotta say, he's funny when he tries to be nice. And when he's bald."

"Captain Golden Bones being nice to a human. That's one thing I never expected to hear about."

"I hope he leaves my parents alone when I go home then, they wouldn't believe half of the things I went through with him."

"A lot of what you find in the Triangle is hard to digest."

Carver raised a nonexistent brow as he saw a green mass dropping from above and onto the cabin's glass window, while Bones was looking away. For some odd reason, the green goo he saw reminded him of the morning's grub.

* * *

Clovis pulled on the string, finally catching something.

Looks like he got a big fish this time, maybe he could cook something new and see if his ghostly taste buds would let him feel full for once.

He kept pulling and decided to dive under water to fish out the fish himself. Going under the surface, he swam for a bit before seeing a dark giant silhouette where his line was getting.

"Uh oh."

With a fart sound, he teleported back onto The Chaos, hurriedly telling it to move before the Kraken came. The ship moved away while the sea monster was busy with Clovis' ghost smell.

With a complaint, it went back underneath the water, swimming towards its intended spot. Next to it was a metallic item, one it had to guard and protect from anyone wanting to do something to it.

Those pirates would someday come back to get it when it'd raise above the surface of water again. The Kraken would feed on them whenever they threatened to.

It won't let them access Beru's Lock.


	5. Final Chapter: Escaping the Triangle

Zak was practicing his powers, but due to him not having a hold on the Eye of Vapir and the show's suggestive quality in CGI, his foot went through the floor.

Bones huffed as he took a sip of skeleton tea, the way he could drink with his weird mouth was a mystery.

Calico came in. "Master Skullivar wanted to reward you with this."

Bones was confused as he received a 'Best Skeleton Dad' sweater.

"Didn't know Skullivar knew how to sew." said Zak, wearing a replica of Bones' hat with his logo from his strap, the same one as from the canon show.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" asked Bones, looking at the piece of clothing.

"Hey, that's my line!" argued Ladybug, who crashed into The Demoniac with Cat Noir after they mistook it for their friend Juleka's mom's boat, the Liberty. An ironic name when she trapped them in it once.

"Maybe wear it?" suggested Zak.

Bones huffed. This was obviously a gift from Skullivar, he wasn't going to spit on it. He just didn't know what this sweater was for.

Time skip, and Zak goes into his house's kitchen, saying hi to his parents.

"Hi Mom! Hi Dad! Hi Dad!"

Zak's parents, including Bones who was now sipping coffee, waved at him as he got ready for school, wearing his 'Best Pirate Human Son' cap on his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> April Fools!


	6. Boat of the Lost Child

It was yet another day on the misty Sea of Vapir. Golden Bones stayed back at the base for other matters while Zak had to deal with guard duty. Which meant going in circle for long hours in the dark waters. The boy huffed as he looked at the horizon.

There was nothing to do here, it was empty. Nobody would dare enter a sea of ghosts, would they? The other skeletons on the small boat didn't seem as bored as he was. They were used to look around for stuff, protect themselves from the Kraken, go underneath the water to find whatever they dropped in there. What could they possibly ever find in this empty spooky ocean?

"You find anything, kid?" asked a skeleton.

"If I did, I think I'd lose my mind." deadpanned Zak. "What is there to find? Aside from murderous fishes and you guys, nothing ever comes around here. Hey hold on!"

He saw a small blur in the fog. Grabbing a nearby telescope, he looked. Was that... a group of fishermen?!

"There's people in there! I see a raft, three guys are fishing and... they're humans?!"

"Good find! Check if they got any gold!"

"Wait a minute, there are other humans?" he asked.

"Well, sure. They don't come around a lot but, we see them from times to times, or when we're pillaging Marituga."

"That's the town from which you guys steal a lot of stuff, right? Is there also a lot of humans too in there?!"

"Where are you getting at?"

Zak stayed shut as he realized it was pointless. He couldn't go home, but for a second he thought he could be with other humans. Sure, the skeletons were fun and all and he felt strong when he could sword battle, but he missed having other people to be with.

"Nothing..."

He sighed, looking at the amulet around his neck. He promised to help Skullivar with his quest, he couldn't leave Netherwhere like he wanted to. Things were so unfair.

He looked at the fishermen again with the telescope.

"Looks like they're going away. Either they saw us or they're hiding from the Kraken again."

"Ah, doubt it. The Kraken doesn't come here. They must've seen something else."

"Like what? A baby shark?" he joked as he turned to the skeleton.

"Giant jellyfish!"

"Ha, that'd be funny."

"No, giant jellyfish!"

Zak turned back, seeing a big, humongous jellyfish flailing its tentacles in the air. Aren't those things supposed to be in water instead?! But this was the Bermuda Triangle, who knew what this jellyfish could do...

"Give me the Eye of Vapir!"

Zak jumped as he dodged the giant creature drive one tentacle at the boat, breaking it and letting the skeletons loose in the water.

"Be careful, kid!" said a skeleton.

Zak flew towards the jellyfish, cutlass in hand. But before he could strike, the creature tackled him away with an electrified tentacle. And while Zak wasn't hurt, he definitely wasn't heading in the right direction anymore.

"Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow!"

He fell into the water as the jellyfish went down, creating big waves that drove him away from the others.

"Kid!"

"Help!"

* * *

Mutters were all around him, he was being observed. Moaning, Zak woke up, rubbing his eyes.

He didn't know what happened. One second he was fighting that big pink stormy thing, and all of a second there was a giant wave coming at him. He almost drowned out there, still feeling the salty taste of water in his mouth.

He coughed slightly, feeling he might pass on salty food next time at lunch. Then he felt worried.

Although he couldn't see a thing, he tried to touch his neck. He was relieved to see his necklace was somehow still there, though his powers were probably down after what happened.

He could already hear Bones lecture him, Calico making a joke out of the situation, the other skeletons telling him to be more careful next time...

"Who are you?"

Fully awake, Zak looked around him. He gasped.

In front of him, four young boys around his age, dressed like adventurers, were looking at him with curious eyes. He... he wasn't alone?!

"I'm Tommy." said the black haired kid, who seemed like the leader. "Nice to meet you, and you are?"

"I'm Zak. Zak Storm." smiled the young pirate.

* * *

Bones huffed, the kid was causing trouble again.

Skullivar would be mad when he'd learn the Eye of Vapir escaped from their grasp, he had to find the kid quick. Dead or alive.

"Where was he last time you saw him?" he asked to the skeletons from the destroyed boat Zak was on.

"Well, we were just observing when this giant jellyfish came out of the water and destroyed everything." explained a skeleton. "The Amulet Kid tried to fight it but the jellyfish got rid of him before we could do anything. These coordinates match with when we-"

"Get going already!" interrupted Bones as he kicked the skeleton into pieces. "Skullivar will make you pay for wasting his time like this, we're losing a precious tool! What was he even thinking, going after a sea monster with his lack of experience?"

"Well..." said another skeleton. "While we were looking, he asked me about other humans. I think... he may be missing the rest of his dimension's people."

Bones stared at him, before kicking him down as well. "I didn't ask you to make me a sob story! Now get back to work!"

Whoever thought Bones would soften down at the idea of a boy drowning was deeply wrong, or in bits. Or both.

He heard of the legends of the giant jellyfishes, with the power to create portals through the Seven Seas. Assuming he might've fallen through a portal, Zak could be anywhere. From Blazz to Sino, from Aeria to Vapir, from Beru to Dezer, maybe even the Sea of Zite.

He really hit the nail this time, maybe he even drowned. Humans and their weaknesses could be so difficult...

With a sigh, he returned to observe the maps they've had in their possession. This could was more trouble than he could help.

* * *

"So you work with a mean wizard pirate guy?" asked Tommy.

"Yeah. He's my boss and I gotta be super respectful to him. Actually he has a voice that reminds me of my dad, but more echoey... I miss him."

"I miss my parents too. Ever since we found this island, we've been living here and looking for stuff the sea spits out. You can find real cool stuff in here." he showed to Zak a basketball. "Don't know why this ball is like this, but it's fun."

"You play basketball with it." said Zak.

"Basketball? I don't know about the new sports, we've been here for a while, all four of us. Hey! Maybe you could join us, we'd be five!"

"I wish." said Zak. "I got this magic bracelet my dad had, it can let me fly and use wind powers and superhero stuff. But I gotta use it for my boss, only I can use it."

"You have magic powers?!" exclaimed Tommy. "Can you make this chocolate bigger?" he asked, pointing to the bar Zak was eating.

"Not really... by the way, how come it tastes so good? Usually, when I drop something in the sea, it's all salty and I can't eat it anymore."

"Sometimes, some of us go to Marituga to steal fruits or candies." explained Tommy.

"Marituga? Isn't that the town where lots of thieves live?"

"Yeah! They have the best caramels you could find in the Triangle!"

"And are there humans in there?"

Tommy gave him a look that meant 'well, duh!'

"Obviously! We're not the only people in this place, but we don't talk to the other kids much. They still have their parents looking over them, unlike us... Say, who watches over you? Your boss?"

"Not really. He got a second in command, a scary yellow skeleton made of gold, calling himself Golden Bones."

"Talk about a creative name!" both boys giggled. "And what does he do for fun?"

"Telling me I'm not good enough of a fighter, scolding me, criticizing me for everything I do... like mean teachers at school."

"Yikes! I'd hate living with my teacher."

Both kids fist bumped, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

From afar, looking from the dark waters, five imp-like figures were crawling on an abandoned broken raft. It seemed they all found their new hosts.

* * *

Seven days, and they've been looking for that brat. Seven days, and Skullivar's patience would run out soon.

If the brat ended up in the Sea of Zite, there was nothing they could do. Only people without a material body could go in there, and while they heard legends about some people able to travel to Zite, they did not have the ability or time to do the same.

The Demoniac was searching one last time through Vapir, like they've been doing the first day of their search for the boy. In the Captain's Quarter, Bones received a signal.

"General Bones! We found the boy!" said the transmission.

"About time! Skullivar will be pleased to know you aren't completely useless. Does he still have the Eye of Vapir on him?"

"Well... he does, but he looks extremely attached to it. His clothes are a bit torn and he refused to speak to us when we found him. He just rushed on one of our boats and didn't utter a word when we asked him what happened."

Bones grumbled. "Fine, bring him over. If I have to get a report of his failure, it should be from him."

He waited a few minutes, wondering what other excuse the kid would come up with. Was this all just a game for him? Did he never think before acting? If he did, he wouldn't have been defeated so easily by a vortex-creating marine fiend, much less humiliated after defeating the Kraken the other day.

He was being a waste of time, they'd never get Skullivar's quest done at this pace, or get Zak home so he wouldn't be such a burden anymore.

Finally, the door opened, and his soldiers came in front of him, followed by an obviously upset Zak. The boy looked like he had been into a fight, but not a dangerous sword fight like he was trained to be prepared with. No, he looked like he got into a fight with other children.

What kind of trouble did he get himself into again?

"What do you have to say for yourself?" asked Bones coldly.

Zak glared at him, before looking down. "Sorry..."

"You don't know the meaning of the word, yet! Do you know how much time we lost because of you?! What were you doing in Vapir while we searched for you?"

Zak grumbled. "I found an island with other kids..."

Bones raised a brow.

"It was the first time I've been with other humans ever since I fell into the Triangle! And they were kids my age! For the first time, I didn't have to do grownup stuff or risk my life! A brat like me shouldn't be shouldn't learn how to use a sword or be in your army, should I?!"

He was suddenly shouting, which took Bones and the other soldiers aback.

"They seemed nice and we had fun together... we lived in a shed and played games but..." Bones' anger was building up. "Some weird totem appeared on the roof at some point. Then this Tommy kid and his friends started acting really weird one by one, and there were those monsters! They wanted to steal my dad's lucky charm, they wanted to steal my body! They turned on me and that green monster with horns was after me!"

Zak was speaking quickly, sweating and breathing heavily, which somehow calmed Bones down. Maybe the boy's had enough, but he still needed to understand who he was talking to.

"I didn't know what was going on, I thought they were nice and-"

"Welcome to the Triangle!" sarcastically said Bones. "Tricksters and creatures from the darkest and scariest places can be there anytime! You were a fool to think human children living there by their own wouldn't be suspicious, you almost cost us a reliable tool! Do you even know-"

"Do you even know what it's like?!" snapped back Zak. "Ever since I got here, do you know what I've had?! My family's gone! I'm lost! All I ever see is dead looking stuff!" He shared an angry look with Bones. "You have no idea what I've been through! This all looked like a nightmare!"

"If you could grow a spine-"

"If you could listen for once! You don't know what it's like to be separated from everything you knew and end up in a place where no one knows you! Where no one looks like anyone you've ever seen! Where I didn't even think I'd ever fit in, because I'm just a kid!"

Bones groaned, though something in his look changed. He seemed to enjoy Zak's reaction for some reason.

"Another thing: you never told me where there were other humans in the Triangle. I almost thought it was a lie because I didn't see any other before a week ago! What is it with you and keeping things secret from me until I look like a fool? Are you  _trying_  to make me look bad? Are you sabotaging your leader's own mission just to make me look stupid while you're still in his good graces?!"

The other soldiers winced, Zak would be in for some pain soon.

"I've only told you about what you needed to know, you're just not making the best out of what I'm trying to teach you." claimed Bones, oddly amused instead of angry.

"Don't you dare say that! You  _have_  to tell me about things I don't know about. You never even told me about Marituga or where other humans in the Triangle live. I spent weeks training, practicing for some battle you'll never take me to, and you know what?" asked Zak, angry. "You never thought one second about bringing me to the other seas."

The soldiers looked at their general. Zak's words seemed to actually have some meaning, why did he never send Zak on missions outside of Vapir?

"You never told me about Dezer, or Beru, or Blazz, I had to ask Calico and other people about it! Those kids who trapped me told me more about the Triangle than you or Skullivar ever did. How are you supposed to find those Locks if the one guy you aren't even sure can open them doesn't even know about where they could be?!"

For the first time since he had come, Zak finally stood up against Bones in a proper way. This wasn't like when he tried to prove himself or when he confronted the sea monster.

"Hmm, while you should bite the dust for everything you said, I do like your guts, kid." said Bones. "Listen up, I'm not here to tell you how to get back home, I'm a commander. You're getting yourself into something you still have no grasp on. Until you fully understand what this presents, you're on your own to learn the dangers and corners of the Triangle."

"When will that be?"

"When you're ready."

"When will that be?!" impatiently asked Zak.

Bones glared at him, walking towards him. Zak backed away, still looking angry. Both kept marching until Zak was against the wall. That was when Bones struck.

With a swift move, he swiped at the wall over Zak's head, leaving a mark on it. He was somewhat amused to see Zak didn't crouch or cower to dodge.

"When you grow up to be that tall and strong, maybe I'll deem you worthy of teaching you what else I know."

Zak looked behind him, seeing the trace he left. It wasn't that far, but it'd take him growing up to be like, 10 or 11, to be that tall. Which meant about a year or two, his birthday had been there last month before he stopped counting the days.

"I'll show you what I'm capable of." muttered Zak, before leaving the quarter.

Bones smirked as he saw the boy walking away. For once, he showed some actual guts, instead of playing the vulnerability card or acting as if this was all just a game for him. Though he acted insubordinate, he'd do well to be braver like this in the future.

Meanwhile, Zak had to adapt back to the canteen's meals. He wondered if Calico was experienced enough in stitching, he'd like to have normal clothes instead of having holes everywhere on his shirts and pants. His mom would berate him if she saw in what state he got himself into.

Zak looked down again, sighing deeply. For once, he missed his mom's lectures, how she told him not to fight other kids at school, when she told him not to eat stale food, and lots of other things.

He couldn't help it, when he was with Tommy and his friends, it finally felt like he was back home. He almost didn't want to believe any of this happened.

Would this place ever feel like home? Could being a pirate ever be like having a family?


End file.
